Men and Women Are...the Same?!

Some relationship experts may claim that men and women are from different planets—and, sometimes, yeah, it seems that way—but new research shows that guys and girls are pretty much the same when it comes to our emotions.

According to a study done at the University of Rochester, which measured 122 different characteristics of 13,301 people, men and women are very similar when it comes to things like choosing a romantic partner and feeling empathy—along with many other traits. Researchers believe their results prove that any long-held ideas about how men and women approach relationships in vastly different ways is actually pretty misleading.

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At least to me, these findings make a lot of sense: I know guys who act "like girls" when it comes to relationships, and women who approach dating "like men." Take one of my best girl friends who, while a freshman in college, made it her goal to hook up with a different dude every night. (She didn't quite succeed, but she sure tried.) Or my guy friend who, before he settled down, preferred to have good convos with girls when he went out rather than scheme how he'd get them to come home with him at the end of the night. Even on a friendship level, I've seen this sort of thing: while some of my female friends are super fun to hang with, I wouldn't necessarily count on their emotional support as much as I would from a few close guy friends.

But, aside from my own life, it's pretty cool to see scientific evidence that women and men are equal when it comes to personality and emotions. Especially given how gender roles are evolving as they are with stay-at-home dads and female breadwinners becoming more of a norm. Hopefully, research like this will continue to help break down gender stereotypes and give both sexes the chance to just be people—not defined by how we think a man or a woman "should" act.